Electric switch



1,624,120 April 1927' J. E. SPRINGER E ELECTRIC SWITCH Original Filed Jan. 24 1923 A TTOR/VEVS cuit closing devices.

Patented Apr. 12, 192 7.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. SPRINGER, AND ROBERT A. HARRY, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

ELEc'rmc swrren.

Application filed Jahuary 24, 1883, Serial No. 814,542. Renewed December 2, 1925.

Our invention relates to improvements in switches and an ob ect of the invention is to provide an improved switch especially for of the parking light or the like will be closed.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a rear elevationof a part of the instrument-board showing the control in.

place,

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view; of a part of the control,

Fig. 3 is a similar view sliowing the associated parts of the settinglever disassembled, and

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of part of the clock mechanism and showing the cir- It is not an uncommon experiencefor the driver of an automobile to leave e automobile parked at the curb at a tim when lighting the parking light is not yet necessary, and then forget to come out and turn the light on'. Failure to show a parking light after a certain time in the evening is subject to a penalty in many communities. The express purpose of the invention described below is to make provision for automatically turning the electric current of the parking light on at any predetermined time.

This provision consists of a clock 1 which is mounted behind the instrument board of the automobile. In Fig. 1 theinstrument board is indicated at 2. The case of the clock has a plurality of cars 3 through which screws 4 pass .in order .to support the clock as stated.

The instrument board is provided with a slot 5 immediately above the clock. A setting lever 6 rojects through this slot and has the' end turned up so as to make itmore convenient to operate the lever and at the same time prevent the lever from extending out so far as to possibly catch the clothing of the operator in getting in and out.

Although the face of the clock does not show in the drawings, the reader will understand that it consists of the ordinary wellknown time piece. Only so much of the mechanismbf the clock is shown as relates directly to the invention. In Fig. 4, the star wheel 8 comprises that portion of the alarm mechanism of the clock that operates thedouble pawl 9.

This star or ratchet wheel 8 controls the vibration of a contactor 10 which is carried by the shaft 11 upon which the double pawl 9 is mounted. This contactor may either be used in substitution of the usual alarm striker 12 or may accompany the latter as may be desired. In Fig. 4, both are shown in lace on the shaft 11.

he end of the contactor 10 is bent over at right angles and-terminates in a pair'of spring fingers 13. These are adapted to engage and grip a contact 14 which depends from the manually operable setting lever 6., This lever is pivotally mounted at 15 on thecase of the clock. The screw which constitutes the pivotal mounting, also serves as theground connection of'a' wire. 16 (Fig. 2) which in practice runs to one terminal of a battery;

Another wire 18 (Fig, 2) has electrical connection with the contact 14. This pin passes through a hole 19 in the setting lever f5 which, likethe slot 20 in the clock case is sufliciently large to let the contact pass -key 25 by .-which the alarm spring 26 is wound. The face of theclock is adapted to show through a suitable opening in the instrument board 2, and in order to wind the clock, the operator must reach up under the instrument board so as to reach the key 25. c

The operation is as follows: Assume the through without touching. A pair of noiiconducting washers 21 insulate the contact from the settigg alarm mechanism of the clock 1 to have been set to go off at a predetermined hour of the evening. The operator of the automobile is assumed to have done this before leavmg the automobile. At the time set, the alarm.

mechanism will start to operate and tend to vibrate the contactor 10 in the manner that the ordinary striker is customarily vibrated.

However, the spring fingers 13, in moving over toward the right, in Fig. 4, will catch and grip the contact 14 so that an electrical circuit is completed from the battery and the parking light, said circuit also including the contactor' 10 and metal of the clock mechanism to the wire 16 and back to the battery.

The parking light is now supposed to be lighted and remains so until the operatorreturns to the automobile.

He then moves the handle 7 in the direction indicated in Fig. 2, thereby releasing the contact 14 from the engagement of the springfingers 13 and opening the electric circuit for the extinction of the parking light. It is thus seen that the control or switch first functions by mechanically moving a contactor into engagement with a contact for thecompletion of a circuit, and next manually moving thereby at a set time,

means by which said the contact from said contactor to break the prising a clock mechanism atwhich one end of an electric circuit is grounded, a setting lever, means by which said lever is pivoted on the clock case and by which said ground is established, a cont-actor embodied in the clock mechanism and adapted to be vibrated a contact pin to which the other end of the circuit is connected, and pin is insulatively said lever being the pin in an enmounted on thelever, adapted to either sustain gageable or non-engageable position in respect to the contactor. v

. JOHN E. SPRINGER.

ROBERT A. HARRY. 

